Why Can’t Israelis Enter Area A?
A 2000 IDF closure declaration bars Israelis from entering or staying in Area A. Order 2230 of 2025 lets police bar a vehicle for 60 days.
Since 2000, Israelis have been barred from entering or staying in Area A by a military closure declaration, which the Israel Defense Forces names in Order 2230, signed on 20 April 2025. The ban is military legislation in force in the West Bank, not a Knesset statute, and its own title applies it to Israelis. The ground the IDF commander states in his own order is security and public order. Area A is the zone where the 1995 Oslo II agreement gave the Palestinian Council internal security.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Year printed in the title of the closure declaration prohibiting Israelis’ entry and stay in Area A | Israel Defense Forces, Order 2230, the IDF’s own military order | Declaration dated 5761 (autumn 2000 to autumn 2001), printed as 2000 |
| 2 or more | People who must have breached the closure in one vehicle before police may bar its use | Israel Defense Forces, Order 2230 | In force 20 April 2025 to 31 December 2027 |
| 60 days | Standard period a vehicle is barred from use | Israel Defense Forces, Order 2230 | Same |
| 90 days | Period where the same vehicle had a notice in the previous three years | Israel Defense Forces, Order 2230 | Same |
| 7 days | Time the police officer has to answer a written objection | Israel Defense Forces, Order 2230 | Same |
| Map No. 1 | Area A, defined as populated areas within a red line and shaded brown | Israel and the PLO, Oslo II, text published by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Signed 28 September 1995 |
A 2000 military closure declaration bars Israelis from Area A
The Israel Defense Forces records the instrument by name in section 2(a)(1) of Order 2230, its own military order for the West Bank: “ההכרזה בדבר סגירת שטח (איסור כניסה ושהייה) (ישראלים) (אזור A), תשס״א-2000”. In English, that is the Declaration regarding Closure of an Area (Prohibition of Entry and Stay) (Israelis) (Area A), 5761-2000. The Hebrew year 5761 runs from autumn 2000 to autumn 2001, and the order prints the Gregorian year as 2000.
| Element | What the title or the order states |
|---|---|
| Kind of instrument | A closure declaration: military legislation issued in the West Bank, not a Knesset statute |
| Who it applies to | Israelis, in its own title |
| What it prohibits | Entry and stay, in its own title |
| Where | Area A |
| Order that enforces it | Order 2230, signed by the Commander of IDF Forces in Judea and Samaria on 20 April 2025 |
Source: Israel Defense Forces, Order 2230 (Temporary Provision), 5785-2025, the IDF’s own published order.
Order 2230 enforces the closure. It does not create it, and it names the 2000 declaration without reproducing its text. The West Bank’s two legal tracks explain why a military order rather than a statute carries the bar.
Order 2230 cites exceptional security circumstances and public order
The Commander of IDF Forces in Judea and Samaria stated his ground in the preamble to Order 2230, the IDF’s own order: “לאור הנסיבות הביטחוניות יוצאות הדופן השוררות כיום באזור, והואיל וטעמי ביטחון האזור והשמירה על הסדר הציבורי מחייבים זאת”. In English: “in light of the exceptional security circumstances now prevailing in the Area, and since the security of the Area and the keeping of public order require it”.
The preamble names three grounds, each in the commander’s own words:
- The exceptional security circumstances now prevailing in the Area.
- The security of the Area.
- The keeping of public order.
The preamble gives no further reason and cites no incident count.
Oslo II defines Area A and hands its security to the Council
Oslo II defines Area A by a colour on a map: “the populated areas delineated by a red line and shaded in brown on attached map No. 1”. The definition names no city, and the Agreement prints no area percentage for any zone. Israel and the PLO signed the text on 28 September 1995, and the English version quoted here is the one published by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a party to it.
| Article | What the text states |
|---|---|
| XI(3) | Area A means “the populated areas delineated by a red line and shaded in brown on attached map No. 1” |
| XI(2) | “All civil powers and responsibilities, including planning and zoning, in Areas A and B, set out in Annex III, will be transferred to and assumed by the Council” |
| XIII | The Council assumes “the powers and responsibilities for internal security and public order in Area A” |
| XVII(2) | The Council’s personal jurisdiction applies “to all persons, except for Israelis” |
| XVII(4)(a) | “Israel, through its military government, has the authority over areas that are not under the territorial jurisdiction of the Council, powers and responsibilities not transferred to the Council and Israelis” |
Source: Israel and the PLO, Interim Agreement (Oslo II), 1995, main Agreement.
The IDF’s own 2000 closure declaration is issued over the zone Article XI(3) draws and Article XIII assigns to the Council for internal security. How the Council runs that zone is covered in whether the Palestinian Authority runs its own areas.
Order 2230 lets police bar a vehicle for 60 days
Under Order 2230, the IDF’s own military order, a police officer of inspector rank or above may prohibit use of a vehicle if two or more people breached the closure declaration using it. The prohibition runs 60 days, or 90 days for a repeat vehicle. The sanction falls on the vehicle, and the order sets no penalty on a person.
| Provision | Measure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Section 2(a)(1) | Inspector or above may bar a vehicle used by two or more people to breach the closure | From the finding |
| Sections 2(a)(2) and (3) | Vehicle barred from use | 60 days; 90 days if a notice was issued for the same vehicle in the previous three years |
| Section 4 | Licence taken; vehicle held in a designated lot at the owner’s expense | For the prohibition |
| Sections 5 and 6 | Written objection to an officer of lieutenant-superintendent rank or above; appeal to the committee under Order 1651 | Answer within 7 days |
| Section 9 | Temporary provision | 20 April 2025 to 31 December 2027 |
Source: Israel Defense Forces, Order 2230 (Temporary Provision), 5785-2025.
No Israeli body here publishes a count of Area A entries
The Israel Defense Forces published Order 2230 as its own enforcement instrument, and it carries no figures beyond the periods it sets. Order 2230 states the declaration’s title and nothing of its contents. Three things are absent from the records on this page:
- The text of the 2000 declaration, including any exemptions or permit categories it sets.
- Any count of Israelis entering Area A, or of breaches of the closure.
- Any count of vehicles barred under Order 2230 since 20 April 2025.
Every figure here comes from Order 2230 or Oslo II
- Order 2230 is the IDF’s own military legislation, signed by its area commander and published by the IDF. Its figures are periods and thresholds it sets, not counts of anything.
- The 60 and 90 days are alternatives under one provision and may not be added together.
- The 2000 is the year printed in the declaration’s title; the declaration’s own text is not quoted on this page.
- Oslo II is quoted in the English text published by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It defines Area A by map, so no share of the West Bank comes from it.
Questions readers ask
Is it Israeli law that bars Israelis from Area A?
No. The Israel Defense Forces names the bar in Order 2230 as a 2000 closure declaration, which is military legislation in force in the West Bank rather than a Knesset statute.
When did the ban on Israelis entering Area A start?
The Israel Defense Forces records the declaration’s year as 5761-2000 in Order 2230. The Hebrew year 5761 runs from autumn 2000 to autumn 2001.
What reason does Israel give for the ban?
The Commander of IDF Forces stated, in the preamble to his own Order 2230, “the exceptional security circumstances now prevailing in the Area” and the requirements of “the security of the Area and the keeping of public order”.
Who signed Order 2230?
The Israel Defense Forces published the order as signed by the Commander of IDF Forces in Judea and Samaria on 20 April 2025, 22 Nisan 5785.
What happens to a car used to enter Area A?
Order 2230, the IDF’s own order, lets an inspector or above bar a vehicle used by two or more people to breach the closure for 60 days. The licence is taken and the vehicle held at the owner’s expense.
How long can a car be held for a second time?
The Israel Defense Forces sets 90 days in Order 2230 where a notice was issued for the same vehicle in the previous three years.
Can a driver challenge a vehicle ban?
The Israel Defense Forces states in Order 2230 that the owner or driver may object in writing, with an answer due within 7 days, and may appeal to the committee under Order 1651.
Does Order 2230 punish the person who entered?
The Israel Defense Forces published Order 2230 with a sanction on vehicles only. It sets no penalty on a person.
When does Order 2230 expire?
The Israel Defense Forces issued Order 2230 as a temporary provision in force until 31 December 2027, 1 Tevet 5788.
What is Area A?
The Interim Agreement states that Area A means “the populated areas delineated by a red line and shaded in brown on attached map No. 1”, signed by Israel and the PLO on 28 September 1995.
Who is responsible for security in Area A?
The Interim Agreement states in Article XIII that the Palestinian Council assumes “the powers and responsibilities for internal security and public order in Area A”.
Does the Palestinian Council have jurisdiction over Israelis?
The Interim Agreement states in Article XVII(2) that the Council’s personal jurisdiction applies “to all persons, except for Israelis”.
What share of the West Bank is Area A?
The Interim Agreement states no area percentage for any zone. It defines Area A by shading on map No. 1.
How many Israelis have been caught entering Area A?
The Israel Defense Forces published no count of entries, breaches or barred vehicles in Order 2230, and no record on this page carries one.
Sources
- Israel and the PLO, 1995. The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (Oslo II), signed at Washington DC, 28 September 1995. Text published by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. https://www.gov.il/en/Departments/General/the-israeli-palestinian-interim-agreement. Official or primary record.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2025. Order regarding Administrative Vehicle Seizure for Entry into Area A (Judea and Samaria) (No. 2230) (Temporary Provision), 5785-2025, signed 20 April 2025 by the Commander of IDF Forces in Judea and Samaria. Hebrew. https://www.idf.il/media/0e2hswax/צו-בדבר-השבתה-מינהלית-בגין-כניסה-לשטח-a-יהודה-ושומרון-מס-2230-הוראת-שעה-התשפה-2025.pdf. Official or primary record, military legislation published by the IDF.
